Relatives mourn at the Baba Raghav Das Hospital in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Pressure on government

Opposition parties have stepped up the pressure on the state government, demanding the resignations of Adityanath and the state health minister.

"Utter failure of Chief Minister Yogi's government, who have the blood of more than 60 lives on their hands," the opposition Congress party said in a message on social network Twitter.

Uttar Pradesh is India's most politically prized state, where the BJP's thumping victory has strengthened Modi's claim to a second term in 2019.

Gorakhpur, a down-at-heel town near India's border with Nepal, is Adityanath's political base, which elected him to parliament five times before Modi asked him to lead Uttar Pradesh, after a landslide BJP election victory in March.

But the town's health facilities are seen as deficient, with a study of government data by nonprofit body Brookings India showing the district has a 26 percent shortage of primary health centers.

Encephalitis outbreaks kill hundreds in India every year, especially during the monsoon season.

India spends about one percent of GDP on public health, among the world's lowest. In recent years, Modi's government has increased health spending and vowed to make healthcare more affordable.

Reuters